The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-01-27
0he gnfelliqeluer:
TI~C'f AM irt III "A ~ I'ShP
ONCE, Nos. 30 and 81 Fourteenth Street.
ENGLISH PLAYwRIGul' - PROFITS.
a.Nu- NJ LN.l = 1890 - fIIHuWIpN l. N =
Big Royalties Which Lesson Am ericnn Man.
ngct's Receipts. "''' ''"W

Biz ltoJalties Which Lesson Am srican Man
| " ngct's Receipts. "''' '"o
New York Journal. T7'I gW'yi ruHJ
The question Of royaltles for new plays
Especially from abroad, is one that ia b.
ginning serloualy to agitate thh American
manager. The experience OF the presen,
season has very clearly shown. In New
at any rate, that now foreign plays or
which, o big royalty Is paid do not draw
any better than than the domestic article
or than uld ones on, which no royalty Al
all can be demanded lius t,YIf Ipi0
Now take the cases Of Wallack's
and the Bijou Opeea House, remarkei
o well.known manager the other dsv '
"Wallack's began i with ae.Harveat
which. proved failure and upon
whic he had to pay 10 percent Of tbs
Rroas receipts to Mr.. Hamilton, the au,
thor. BAY that the receipts we're $500 a
night. Mr.. Hamilton would get $50 d
tliu, or $3.50 a week, while the naauaoer
OF the theatre was losing money, ID Then
came Sophia, which drew better, o Wall.
Upper cent. had to be paid on that and Il
amounted TO 500 or $500 q week to Tho
management. Then came Tho Hchooi
Tor Scandal which was Intended really a.
q: atop gap, but which In It's frat week
drew more than $1,000. Under ordinary
circumstances, had this been u ROYALTY
play, the theatre would have been ant
over 500. whereas Mr.. Wallack is In mat
that amount. suppose on the nm nj
The School for Scandal Mr.. Wallack Ia
better of by over s., 500 than no would he
II no bad produced some new play to as
good business. '71. "
"On Hafbor Light Mr.. Wallack is poinp
TO pay u percent and he has all the risE
Of tho production. IT. $1,000 should be
bis average receipts he will give over to
the agents OF the authors no less than $40
every week. Considering the biz expense
OF such piece as this, both preliminary
and regular, there will not on this be- any
very great, margin. Whereas, II the
drama should not be a success and play 10
81 600 or S. GOO week, MIR. Wallack
would be paying the authors from 1880 10
5000 q week, while suffering an actual loss
himself When Miles & Barton produce
Tho MGfcos, at the Bijou they will have
no royalty to pay. For Little JACK Shen.
pard' and Turned Up they have Tbeen
paying royalty Of, from 7 to IL ,pe1cent.
The Mascot will draw as well as either
and the managers will be the better offby
about $500 week, which ia profit thnt
Of itself would satisfy them" aisB7"'
The question then is, why bother about
foreign productions at all when such ex.
ccseiye royalties are demanded : 1A,man.
ager can afford to pay SOS a week to an
American author for q successful play
auch as Tangled Lives."' This Is the eum
Mr.. Keller gets for his piece-If he were.
an English author no would be receiving
500 or $500 q per week and the manager
would be disguised in place Of satisfied, as
under the present arrangement. The sys.
tenn is all wrong and It will be found in
the end that foreign authors will have to
90 to the wall. The only great success
from abroad this season ia "Jim, the Pen.
man" Mr.. Palmcr's royalty is moderate
and, Of course, he can well afford to nav.
The play Is the star in this case and costs
Ices than q star would. ssAl 75r'a -
.